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Additinal Credits

Video

Photographer Statement

more detail on exhibit and artist statement:complete intro to exhibit and artist statement:

FACES OF COURAGE: Intimate Portraits of Women on the Edge

By Mark Tuschman

For the past decade I have been on a mission: to document the lack of autonomy that millions of women in developing countries have over their own lives and bodies, and the efforts being made to empower them. The photographs in this exhibit are part of a prospective book titled Faces of Courage: Intimate Portraits of Women on the Edge

The intent of this book is simple – to pay tribute to the women I’ve met and to the millions of other women who share their fate. Through my art, I want to bring these women and their stories to the forefront of world consciousness. I want people to see their faces, feel their pain, and understand both their powerlessness and their magnificent, unshakeable dignity. I’d also like to pay tribute to the people and organizations that are working heroically to bring positive advances in healthcare, education, and personal empowerment to women and girls. This book is my way of honoring them and also speaking out on their behalf.

In my travels around the world, not all the scenes I’ve witnessed are bleak. I’ve also walked into classrooms in Asia, Africa, and Latin America where girls are learning and filled with joy. Even when bent over in concentration, their enthusiasm comes shining through. In those classrooms, I could watch these young women and easily feel their growing sense of empowerment. That simple fact gives me great hope. And there’s more: In villages and towns across the developing world, I found doctors, nurses, teachers, aid workers, and NGO officers – all working to support millions of women in danger and to bring them vital medicine, counseling, and support. More than that, they also bring these women an essential measure of hope and encouragement. Over and over I was humbled, even awed, by the noble work these aid workers do. In my eyes, these workers are humanity at its very best.

This work has taught me a profound lesson: The human condition is wrought with great uncertainty and suffering, yet the human spirit and the hope for a better life can withstand terrible hardships and even grow stronger in the face of adversity. The women I have photographed have constantly inspired me, and I’ve come to understand that their cause is our cause; their humanity is our humanity.

Artist statement:

As I have grown older, I have become more motivated to use my photography to communicate in a more socially conscious way - in a way that exposes people to both the degree of human suffering that exists in today’s world and to the courage and fortitude that people manifest to overcome it. In my travels I can easily imagine that I could have been born into completely different circumstances and my worldview would have been radically different, having been influenced by a completely radically dissimilar environment and culture. Indeed, I know I have been privileged and fortunate to have been born into an affluent culture with tremendous opportunities. I believe that it is especially important for people in our society to understand other cultures and the enormous difficulties that people in other countries face daily in order to simply survive. The human condition is wrought with great uncertainty and suffering, and yet the human spirit and the hope for a better life can grow stronger in the face of adversity. I am constantly inspired by the profound fortitude of people living in difficult conditions and the empathy and commitment of the many who give counsel and aid to those less fortunate.

I believe it as my moral obligation to use whatever talents I have as a photographer to transcend our limited worldviews and to help bridge the gap between cultures of affluence and poverty. Photography is a universal language and it is my hope that my images will move viewers to respond not only with empathy, but also with action. It is my intention to photograph people with compassion and dignity in the hope of communicating our interrelatedness. In the words of Sebastiao Salgado whose work I greatly admire, “If you take a picture of a human that does not make him noble, there is no reason to take this picture. That is my way of seeing things.”

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Caption:
1. A mother with her children in her home in a rural community outside of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

For the past decade I have been on a mission: to document the lack of autonomy that millions of women in developing countries have over their own lives and bodies, and the efforts being made to empower them. The photographs in this exhibit are part of a prospective book titled Women on the Edge: Intimate Portraits of Courage and Dignity.

The intent of this book is simple – to pay tribute to the women I’ve met and to the millions of other women who share their fate. Through my art, I want to bring these women and their stories to the forefront of world consciousness. I want people to see their faces, feel their pain, and understand both their powerlessness and their magnificent, unshakeable dignity. I’d also like to pay tribute to the people and organizations that are working heroically to bring positive advances in healthcare, education, and personal empowerment to women and girls. This book and exhibit is my way of honoring them and also speaking out on their behalf.

8. In Peten, Guatemala, pregnant teenagers wait to see a healthcare worker. Half of all young women in Guatemala marry before the age of twenty. Only 5 percent of them use an effective method of birth control (PPG).

10. A young woman named Seni is shown here outside of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with her family in the background. She was effectively held prisoner as a domestic servant in Saudi Arabia for three years without being able to contact her family (Rifka Annisa/ Global Fund for Women).

12. Nazia is telling her story to a women’s support group. Her husband tried to murder her twice, once by pushing her off a motorcycle, and once by poison. He was not satisfied with his dowry gift of a motorcycle; he wanted a new car. Nazia broke into tears shortly after I photographed her (ActionIndia/Global Fund for Women).

12. Nazia is telling her story to a women’s support group. Her husband tried to murder her twice, once by pushing her off a motorcycle, and once by poison. He was not satisfied with his dowry gift of a motorcycle; he wanted a new car. Nazia broke into tears shortly after I photographed her (ActionIndia/Global Fund for Women).

13. Rani is married to an alcoholic. He has beaten her many times, going so far as to slash her arm deeply with a blade. She was the sole earner in the family and, in order to escape the misery of living with her husband, she filed for a divorce (ActionIndia/GFW).

15. Ofelia is a peer counselor who has been trained by Planned Parenthood. She is pictured outside her parents’ guesthouse in Cusco, Peru. She is explaining the proper use of condoms to a high-school student who lives in a rural area and boards at the guesthouse.

16. Most religious organizations view issues of reproductive health, particularly issues of sexuality and family planning, as immoral. Seven years ago PPFA partnered with the NKST church in northern Nigeria to alter this aspect of religious culture. The church now takes every opportunity to promote family planning. Here, condoms are freely distributed when a client visits her hairdresser.

16. Most religious organizations view issues of reproductive health, particularly issues of sexuality and family planning, as immoral. Seven years ago PPFA partnered with the NKST church in northern Nigeria to alter this aspect of religious culture. The church now takes every opportunity to promote family planning. Here, condoms are freely distributed when a client visits her hairdresser.

18. In Pokuase, Ghana, Sarah Ankrah received her first WomensTrust loan of $50 to support her bread-making business. Today her bakery sells close to 8,000 loaves of bread per week, bringing in nearly $3,000. Sarah is now reinvesting in her business. And with her increased assets she has also been able to ensure that her children remain in school.

19. In the Kutch region of Gujarat, India, Kala Raksha trains traditional artisans to be designers of their own work. Kurvaben is working on a new piece. She is able to sell her work in upscale boutiques in Mumbai and Delhi. In addition to the great joy that her work gives her, she earns a very decent living.

20. Educate Girls works in the rural areas of Rajasthan, India, where the female illiteracy rate is extremely high. This young girl was not allowed to attend school; instead, she has to babysit her younger sister and tend to the family goats.

21. Her neighbor is a young woman pictured here with her mother, who receives her mother’s support and encouragement to do well in her studies. Evidently, the mother was very proud of her daughter’s persistence in pursuing her education.

24. An hour outside of Kaduna, Nigeria, the Bixby Girl Child Education Project works to improve access to education for girls in rural areas. When the instructor brought out a single laptop computer, which seemed out of place amidst the water-drenched mud hut, all of the girls jostled with each other to be able to get a view of the image on the screen.

24. An hour outside of Kaduna, Nigeria, the Bixby Girl Child Education Project works to improve access to education for girls in rural areas. When the instructor brought out a single laptop computer, which seemed out of place amidst the water-drenched mud hut, all of the girls jostled with each other to be able to get a view of the image on the screen.

24. An hour outside of Kaduna, Nigeria, the Bixby Girl Child Education Project works to improve access to education for girls in rural areas. When the instructor brought out a single laptop computer, which seemed out of place amidst the water-drenched mud hut, all of the girls jostled with each other to be able to get a view of the image on the screen.

29. Mother and infant in Kumasi, Kenya I hope to end my book with a portfolio of children, especially of young girls (sometimes with their mothers). To quote UNFPA, the hope is that they will grow up in a world where “every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.” (Novartis Malaria Initiative).